Thursday, 21 September 2017

You can easily tell dead-end projects by the massive opposition they generate. If your initiatives create high resistance, stress and anxiety, it might be wise to reconsider your strategy. Some products or services are just impossible to sell at a profit, even if they could greatly benefit potential customers. People choose to ignore whatever conflicts with their convictions.

Entrepreneurs are conscious of the fact that markets possess sensitivity and taste. If you try to impose your views on customers, you will fail. If you try to sell what people find misplaced, your attempts will produce only irritation and waste.

Prosperity and happiness require loyalty to principles and practicality in the implementation. Only fools start fights where everybody loses. Logic and consistency are worthless without a workable plan. Philosophy serves no purpose if it does not help improve your life.

The question is how to accomplish demanding goals while remaining loyal to truth. The story of Roger Williams (1603-1683) provides powerful inspiration about how attain success and well-being by minimizing confrontation, in other words, by taking the path of least resistance.

Williams was born in London at a time when religious dissidence was often punished with death. As a child, he witnessed the public execution of members of minority movements. Those tragic events shaped his philosophy and turned him into a highly effective advocate of tolerance and individual responsibility. Williams definitely refused to allow adversity to keep him down.

After his ordination as protestant priest, Williams got married and emigrated to America. When he arrived in Boston, he was 29th years old. He gained employment as preacher in one of the local churches and began to promote his ideas of tolerance and respect of religious minorities.

His parishioners, who favoured a strict line of thought, did not appreciate William's views. Soon after, he faced a difficult choice. If he refused to conform his ideas to public expectations, he would lose his position. If he remained loyal to his philosophy, his reputation would be damaged and no other congregation in the area would be willing to hire him.

He attempted to find steady employment in Salem and Plymouth, to no avail. Churchgoers in those cities liked Williams' opinions as little as those in Boston. He consulted his wife, Mary, and learned that she was pregnant. An upcoming baby constituted a strong reason for Williams to try to keep his position even if that meant sacrificing his ideals. What would you have done in such a situation?

Choosing the path of least resistance requires, in the first place, that you determine your principles and values. Random decisions do not lead to happiness, especially if they are motivated by fear. A wise man identifies his priorities before assessing his options. Our goal should be to find the alternative that can accomplish our objectives with minimum opposition.

Williams analysed his possibilities carefully. On the one hand, he could renounce his views and keep his job. On the other hand, he could give up his ambition of establishing himself in America and return to England. None of those alternatives was satisfying. Instead, he opted for a third choice, the path of least resistance.

With his pregnant wife on trail, he left Boston, purchased some land from the Narragansett Indians, and established a new settlement that he called Providence. Williams' philosophy of tolerance and self-reliance soon attracted entrepreneurial minorities of all sorts. As a result, his land became one of the most prosperous American colonies.

The two alternatives that he had rejected were dead-end projects. If he had kept his position in Boston, he would have continued to receive a regular income, but only at the price of betraying his ideals. If he had returned to England, his destiny would have not been much different.

In retrospective, William's decision to establish a new settlement was the obvious path of least resistance. He had seen the consequences of intolerance in England and was convinced that there was a better way. He suspected that thousands of people thought the way he did, minorities of all sorts, entrepreneurial individuals who only wanted to be left alone to lead their own lives.

Instead of disputing the views of his Boston parishioners, Williams walked away. Instead of wasting time on bitter debates, he opted for building a workable alternative. Instead of trying to impose his views on disgruntled opponents, he decided to spend his life with those who were naturally on his side.

The success of Providence during the following decades provides an impressive example of the benefits of rational decisions: increased cooperation, tolerance, goodwill and self-reliance, all accompanied by growing industry, trade, and productivity.

In addition, Williams' peaceful relations with the neighbouring Narragansett tribes led to mutual understanding. In 1643, he published a handbook on the language of American Indians, which he hoped would improve communication and exchanges between frontier communities.

The next time that you are faced with a similar situation, why don't you adopt the same strategy? Write down your values and priorities. Identify which elements are essential to your happiness. Discard options that don't fulfil your fundamental requirements. And amongst the remaining choices, choose the path of least resistanceText: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

"The principle is one, but its manifestations are many," wrote Chinese philosopher Cheng-Ha a thousand years ago. If we had to establish the simplest possible formula for maximizing happiness, it would probably contain just one instruction. In fact, a single word would suffice: growth.

Some authors define self-development as becoming more of what you are and reaching for more ambitious goals. In pure biological terms, growth implies dilatation or enlargement. Paralysis, most of the time, involves some form of pathology. Stasis is equivalent to death.

Increasing one's ability to live is the fundamental driver for animals and plants. For humans, extending our breadth and depth of experience is the only goal that can be all-encompassing. If you are looking for a permanent and comprehensive recipe to make the best of your life, growth is all you need.

The unpredictability of personal development is what makes it difficult to pursue it successfully. Growth frequently takes place in areas where it is least expected. On the other hand, concentrating all efforts on developing a certain skill might, paradoxically, constrain overall personal growth.

How does self-development actually take place? In which way can it be facilitated? Why must each man follow a different path towards personal growth? These questions have occupied psychologists for years. Here is an answer that you can use:

When you learn a foreign language, your knowledge does not increase following a precise pattern. By memorizing 20 new words per day, your ability to communicate does not expand at a fixed rate, for example, at 1% per day.

Even with sustained study and practice, your progress will now and then stagnate. Sometimes, you will even forget words that you had already learned. Finally, after extensive effort, one day, you will reach a point where you can speak that language fluently.

Still today, despite decades of research, there is no guaranteed method to achieve growth. Some focus on a limited set of skills and try to develop them to perfection. Others prefer to learn bits and pieces on various subjects and put them together in original ways.

Using commonplace elements to produce unexpected combinations is a great development strategy. Breakthrough ideas result, on many occasions, out of curiosity rather than from the organized approach of research laboratories.

Experience shows that understanding the varying speed of self-development can help increase one's peace of mind. Pushing the human body beyond its capabilities does not accelerate, but hinders healthy growth. Do not try to run too fast, and make sure not to carry too much weight.

The important lesson is that taking daily steps in your chosen field is the best formula to make yourself ready for growth. When opportunities materialize, you will be able to seize them. More often than not, regular work and steadiness of purpose lead to a better life. There are many variations, but the theme is one.Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

Friday, 18 August 2017

If you want to pursue ambitious goals and protect yourself from
discouragement, your best ally will be resilience, not luck. Numerous
men and women start their careers full of enthusiasm, only to succumb to
the first difficulties. The path leading to achievement seldom runs
straight. When obstacles stand on the way, detours are inevitable.

An unbreakable psychologyA
healthy psychology depends more on steadiness of character than on a
sunny disposition. Wise men do not allow adverse circumstances to deter
them. When they encounter obstacles, they use their creativity to find
passage. They face difficulties with courage, avoiding wishful thinking
and exaggerated optimism.

Their resilience is based on a
realistic assessment of their possibilities and their constancy on the
knowledge that perseverance can overcome disaster. Their prudence rests
on their past experience of success and their alertness on the wish to
seize opportunities.

Some individuals never get the blues and, if
you adopt an entrepreneurial mentality in all areas of your life, you
can become one of them. Initiative and creativity will help you in
private and business matters, in your dealings with friends as much as
in those with customers.

Can you increase your resilience as a
way to prevent problems for the future? Is it possible to render
yourself immune to low spirits? What steps can to take to get rid of
fears and doubts? A steady temper is the consequence of a person's
history and convictions. The former is influenced by chance, the latter
determined by one's will.

How to increase your resilienceYou need to use your rationality to develop your resilience.
Those who think logically rarely fall prey to anxiety. If you view life
in perspective, you will never be immobilized by depression. Keep your
beliefs anchored in reality and your actions aligned with essential
truths.

Individuals who possess a steady character tend to be
persistent and entrepreneurial. If they ever worry, it will be only for
the short time they need to change their course of action. They make the
best of past mistakes and draw lessons for the future. Each of us can
acquire the five elements that form their character, namely:1. Assess situations calmlyFirst, a
fair assessment of the impact of time on human affairs: In an era when
most people expect to live at least 70 years, we should never allow
adversity to sink our spirits. A man who has acquired a proper
perspective of life does not get angry at inconveniences.

Provided
that you have sensible goals, you have plenty of time to pursue them.
Even though success is not guaranteed, your heart should remain
confident and serene. Banish discouragement from your thoughts and
commit yourself to developing a calm perspective.2. Adopt a long-term perspectiveSecond, understanding the long-term benefits of consistent behaviour: Animals
such as cats and dogs show occasional persistence, but cannot make plans
and implement them consistently. Steadiness of purpose, a uniquely
human characteristic, constitutes the foundation of serenity.The
pursuit of long-term goals multiplies the effectiveness of human
action. Resolve turns prototypes into marketable products and transforms
ideas into profitable businesses. Experienced managers know the
advantages of keeping an unvarying course. If you place your goals above
short-term adversity, you will be able to preserve your peace of mind.

3. Conserve your resourcesThird, a desire to avoid waste and economize resources: Complaining to those
who cannot solve our difficulties is a waste of energy and time. In
contrast, people who draw lessons from past mistakes know how to
concentrate their efforts on finding solutions.

The longer you
conserve your resources, the faster you will overcome adversity.
Individuals who protect their assets look confidently at the future. On
the contrary, those who dilapidate their possessions fear the day when
their luck will change.4. Draw lessons for the futureFourth, relentless curiosity and interest in
learning: When unexpected events disrupt well-constructed plans, victims
tend to react with irritation, condemning anyone who stands on their
path. Their lamentations, however, have little effect on problems,
except perhaps making them worse.

You can On the other hand, if you
approach failure with curiosity, you will be able to draw invaluable
lessons for the future. Innovators are individuals who have learned to
view problems as questions and obstacles as delays. Opposition, instead
of irritating them or making them stressed or anxious, makes them wiser.

Fifth, a perception of the
asymmetry of markets: The idea that life offers limited possibilities is
false and brings about exaggerated concerns. If you are afraid of
blowing your only chance, your obsession is likely to block your
success.

Markets are asymmetric because opportunities come and
go. Prices can be low today and high tomorrow. Customers often modify
their tastes and preferences. Constant change is a source of endless
possibilities. If you take this fact into account, you will be more
alert to future openings in your field.

People who are well
prepared for the future make the best of every hour. Positive
circumstances advance their interests and negative events increase their
knowledge. These persons have learned how to look ahead, prevent
problems to the extent possible, and let time play in their favour.

Commit
yourself to economizing resources and focus your efforts on promising
initiatives. Pursue your goals single-mindedly and understand the
long-term benefits of consistency. Prepare yourself for the future and
acquire an unshakable serenity based on rational expectations. Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

Sunday, 6 August 2017

The French use the word "nombrilism" in order to designate people who fail to see the big picture because they are focusing on their own navel ("ombril"); people who, instead of pursuing large goals, opt for thinking small and without system.

Of course, any attempt to achieve large goals by thinking small and without system is doomed to failure. There is no way that you can make major improvements by taking small, inconsistent steps. There is no way that you can turn your life around by means of little, uncoordinated tricks.

Some people find it impossible to accept that universal principles exist, and that they have always existed. In particular, the keys to productivity, success, and happiness have remained the same for centuries.

I am always reminded of this fact every time I take a tour of historical sites. Every time I look at vestiges of the past, the principles are always there, right before my eyes. Last week, while I was travelling through Spain, visiting medieval castles, churches, and monasteries, the Basilica of St Vincent in Avila (central Spain) made a deep impression on me.

Its construction started in the tenth century, but it took a hundred years before the building was finished. For this reason, the basilica bears witness to the transition between the Romanesque and Gothic styles. In addition, St Vincent's Basilica embodies the keys to productivity, success, and happiness.

Firstly, the basilica was built on solid rock, a decision that was not a coincidence, but the result of the events that, from the very beginning, led to the idea of putting up the building: In the third century AD, in the times of Emperor Dioclecian, Spain was a province of the Roman Empire, and following Dioclecian's orders, the local governor was carrying out a persecution of Christians.

Nonetheless, Roman legal procedure required that, when someone was accused of being a Christian, he had to be given the chance to recant his faith, and demonstrate his allegiance to the Emperor by making a sacrifice to ancient Roman deities such as Mars (the god of war) and Minerva (the goddess of wisdom).

That was exactly what happened to Vincent, a Spanish merchant who was known to be a devout Christian. Roman soldiers took him into custody, and required him to renounce his Christian faith. They told him that, if he refused to comply, he would be facing the death penalty.

While Vincent was in custody, he received a visit from his sisters, Sabina and Christeta. "You have to flee, Vincent," they urged him. "Otherwise, the soldiers will kill you." Vincent was reluctant to run away, but his sisters insisted. "We have paid off the guards, and we have brought horses. Come with us, and we will escape together."

Vincent and his sisters slipped away during the night, and used the horses to flee. However, the Roman soldiers began to chase them the next morning. Eventually, the soldiers captured Vincent and his sisters in Avila, tortured them, threw them off the city wall, and left their corpses lying on a rock at the bottom of a cliff. This is the rock upon which the basilica was built in the tenth century.

If you visit St Vincent's Basilica in Avila today, you will still be able to see the rock. It stands in the crypt, right below the altar where the faithful have been celebrating mass for the last one thousand years. The rock provides the basilica with a clear purpose, a definite meaning, a solid foundation. Throughout the centuries, the rock has welcomed hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, and seen the basilica flourish. It has helped transform brutality into benevolence, and confusion into structure.

Similarly, your productivity, success, and happiness are dependent on your ability to build upon solid foundations. Without a consistent philosophy, there is no way you can attain high productivity because you will simply not know what to do. Without a clear purpose, there is no way you can determine which path to follow because you will simply not know your destination.

For this reason, it puzzles me that unprincipled people spend so much time looking for productivity tricks and short-cuts to success. In a way, they are trying to build a basilica by piling up stones at random. They are trying to put up a building without having any idea of what it should look like. Such attempts always fail miserably. No wonder that such people feel immensely stressed.

Having a rational, integrated philosophy is a prerequisite to high productivity. You need to know your ultimate goal. You need to know your life's mission. You need to know what you want, and why you want it.

Secondly, you need to build a well-designed structure, which is something that requires consistent efforts. Do you know what you are trying to achieve in life? Can you ensure that the decisions you make today are in line with your long-term objectives?

As soon as the basilica was finished in the eleventh century, the Bishop of Avila ordered the construction of a cenotaph to house the remains of Vincent and his sisters. The cenotaph was built by a team of local artists, following the Bishop's instructions: "I want you to illustrate Vincent's story by means of twelve scenes made of small sculptures," asked the Bishop.

The sculptures, only thirty centimetres high, were placed on the sides of the cenotaph, and painted in blue, yellow, red, black, and white, making them look almost alive. Since few people in the Middle Ages were able to read, the cenotaph proved a perfect complement to the basilica.

The Bishop ordered to place the cenotaph inside the building, to the right of the main altar, so that pilgrims could walk around the cenotaph, admire its sculptures, and learn the details of St Vincent's life. Precisely as the Bishop expected, the combination of cenotaph and basilica proved a lasting success. Both creations share the same purpose, carry the same message, and appeal to the same audience. They enhance each other's beauty, meaning, and reputation.

Sticking to your chosen strategy is the second key to increasing your productivity, success, and happiness. Like the Bishop of Avila did when he ordered the cenotaph, you must ensure that your actions are consistent with your purpose. You need to make sure that your decisions are integrated, focused, and aligned with your goals. If you do that, they will enhance each other, and multiply your results.

Thirdly, you need to keep a clean board by having the discipline to say "no" to distractions, temptations, and interruptions. You need to clear your path of obstacles, so that you can keep advancing towards your goals.

The habit of keeping a clean board can dramatically contribute to your productivity. Your commitment to staying on track day after day can enormously enhance your results, and increase your peace of mind.

Unsurprisingly, St Vincent's Basilica also shares this trait. Since the Middle Ages, its right and left corridors have been kept free of furniture, so that pilgrims can walk freely, admire the cenotaph, and pray unencumbered.

A beautiful medieval anecdote confirms this point: When Pedro Barco, a hermit famous for his piety and wisdom, died in the early twelve century, his neighbours could not agree where to bury him. Two villages were claiming the right to have him interred in their church.

After some discussion, the neighbours agreed to let a mule determine where the hermit should be buried. For this purpose, they placed the hermit's corpse on the mule's back, and let the mule go its way. "Wherever the mule takes him, that's where we will bury him," they convened, expecting the mule to head for one of the two villages.

Yet, to everyone' surprise, the mule took to the main road, covered all the way to Avila, arrived at St Vincent's Basilica, went through the portal, continued unencumbered through the right-side corridor, stopped ten meters away from the cenotaph, and tapped firmly on the ground, indicating where the hermit should be buried.

Nine hundred years have passed, and Peter Barco's sepulchre still lies ten meters away from St Vincent's cenotaph; and the basilica's right and left corridors are still free of furniture, so that pilgrims can continue to walk unencumbered.

The rock that bears witness to St Vincent's story still stands in the crypt, naked and unadorned. The building and the cenotaph still keep conveying their original message strongly and clearly, like a man who has found his mission in life, and knows exactly what he is doing.

Next to Pedro Barco's sepulchre, there is a curved mark on the basilica's floor. If we believe the legend, it was a mule that made that mark nine centuries ago, a mule that knew exactly where it wanted to go, and how to get there; a mule that had instinctively figured out the key to productivity, success, and happiness.

Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

Image: Photograph of medieval sculpture; photo taken by John Vespasian, 2017.

Monday, 17 July 2017

There's a short story by
Leo Tolstoy about a farmer who was very poor, and who asked God for
help. Soon after, the devil came to see the farmer, and offered him a
deal.

“I will give you as much
land as you want,” proposed the devil. “It is up to you to decide
how much land you'll get. All you have to do is run as fast as you
can, tomorrow, from dawn to sunset. All land that you'll traverse
will belong to you at the end of the day.”

The farmer felt
exceedingly happy upon hearing the proposal, and turned to planning
what he was going to do the next day. He intended to cover as much
territory as possible, but at the same time, he wanted to ensure that
he would be running on fertile land.

At dawn, the farmer
started to run. He didn't take with him any food or water because he
didn't want to waste time taking a break for eating and drinking. He
only had one day to make his fortune, and wanted to make the best of
it.

For the next hours, the
farmer ran as fast as a reindeer on the prairie. However, when the
sun was high in the sky, he began to grow tired. “Should I stop and
get a drink?” he wondered. “Should I stop and get something to
eat?”

Yet, he determined to keep
on running, and continued the whole day without ever taking a break.
Occasionally, he would slow down for a few minutes, but then
remembered that the devil had promised him all the land he could
traverse until sunset.

The whole afternoon, the
farmer continued to run with a smile on his face, realizing that he
had already covered more land that he would ever be capable of
cultivating. However, he continued to run farther.

When the sun began to
descend on the horizon, the farmer felt severe pain on his chest. He
slowed down for second, and then stopped. “I am not feeling well,”
he said. Next, he found it difficult to breathe, and felt the taste
of blood in his mouth. And before he knew what was happening to him,
he fell on the ground, and died of a massive heart attack.

So much for a productive
day.

In the twenty-first
century, we are not far different from Tolstoy's farmer. We run all
day, and we are constantly looking for short cuts to do things
faster.

Each day, new software
applications become available with the goal of helping us answer
additional emails, read documents faster, access our files day and
night, and listen to audio recordings twice faster than the speed of
human speech.

Despite these innovations,
our work has become increasingly frantic. Millions of people do not
even take the time to have a proper lunch. Instead, they gulp down
some pizza, drink soda, and munch some cookies on the go, so that
they can keep running like Tolstoy's farmer.

Day after day, the scheme
repeats itself in the name of high productivity, but is this really
true? The problem is that some of those software applications are
going to prove worthless because they just help us do at a higher
speed things that we should not be doing in the first place.

Like it happened to
Tolstoy's farmer, the appeal of better results can make us lose our
sense of proportion. It can make us want more just for the sake of
getting more, while we lose sight of our primary goals. It can make
us want to do things faster, just for the sake of doing them faster,
without actually thinking if we should be applying our energies
elsewhere.

The danger of productivity
traps is that they can push us further than we want to go because
they make us forget the big picture. They make us forget that the
real goal of productivity is not to do things faster, but to do the
right things well at a sustainable speed.

If you think about it, we
shouldn't want to do things that add little value to our lives, nor
aim at working twenty-four hours a day. Least of all, we don't want
to create useless work for ourselves by filing electronic documents
that we will never have time to retrieve, let alone read.

Such useless exercises
remind me of the advice that Van Helsing, the vampire-slayer,
received in Bram Stoker's novel “Dracula.” This is what a friend
told Van Helsing:

“You were always a
careful student, and your case-book was always fuller than the rest.
You were only a student then, but now you're a master, and I trust
that your good habits have not failed. Remember, my friend, that
knowledge is stronger than memory.”

A friend was warning Van
Helsing against the danger of paying too much attention to details,
and forgetting about one's primary goal. Productivity traps produce
the same effect. They make us devote efforts to tasks that seem
urgent but that, in practical terms, deliver little value.

Yet, if we want to be
highly productive, we need to force ourselves to ignore shiny
objects. We need to force ourselves to devote our energies to the
areas where we can make a difference, to the areas that really count.

If you allow yourself to
get carried away by productivity traps, you will end up like
Tolstoy's farmer, getting a heart attack while you were trying to do
something that you should not be doing in the first place.

Lack of consistency is
what makes people get ensnared in productivity traps. People forget
the primary purpose of their work. They forget their life's mission,
and instead, they just keep working for the sake of working. As I
explain in my books, without a consistent philosophy, nobody can make
the right decisions. With coherent views, nobody can resist the
appeal of productivity traps.

Already in the nineteenth
century, Jane Austen put in the mouth of Elizabeth Bennet, the female
protagonist of “Pride and Prejudice,” the conclusion that we
should be mistrustful of anything or anybody that lacks consistency:

“There are few people
whom I really love, at even fewer of whom I think well. The more I
see of the world, the more dissatisfied with it; and every day
confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and
of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of
either merit or sense.”

Consistency is the answer.
If you keep the big picture in mind, you will not find it difficult
to avoid productivity traps. If you possess a strong sense of
direction, you will not find it difficult to discard unimportant
things.

By sticking to your life's
mission, you will be able to become immensely proactive without
having to chase shiny objects that will eventually prove detrimental.

Highly productive people
don't feel anxious or stressed. You will not see them pursuing shiny
objects because they have long ago embraced the ideal that Walt
Whitman presented in his work “The Poet.” If you want to be
highly productive, you should also embrace this ideal:

“Nothing out of its
place is good; nothing in its place is bad. He bestows on every
object or quality its fit proportion, neither more nor less. He is
the arbiter of the diverse; he is the key. He is the equalizer of his
age and land. He supplies what wants supplying; he checks what wants
checking.”

Let the ideal of
consistency, simplicity, and balance guide your life. It will help
you avoid worthless shiny objects and productivity traps, and
hopefully, contribute to preventing an early death due to a massive
heart attack.

Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com

Image: photograph of classical painting; photo taken by John Vespasian, 2016.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

JOHN VESPASIAN is the author of eight books about rational living, including "When Everything Fails, Try This" (2009), "Rationality Is the Way to Happiness" (2009), "The Philosophy of Builders: How to Build a Great Future with the Pieces from Your Past" (2010), "The 10 Principles of Rational Living" (2012), "Rational Living, Rational Working: How to Make Winning Moves When Things Are Falling Apart" (2013), "Consistency: The Key to Permanent Stress Relief" (2014), "On Becoming Unbreakable: How Normal People Become Extraordinarily Self-Confident" (2015), and "Thriving in difficult times: Twelve lessons from Ancient Greece to improve your life today" (2016).